How To: Start Poker Nights With The Boys

The food & drink
A party isn't a party without some booze. You'll want to have beer close at hand, as well as a selection of spirits such as whiskey, cognac and vodka. In addition, because there might be designated drivers or guys who want to take it easy, have some water and soft drinks available. Be sure you have a hefty supply of ice as well.

Since you should never drink on an empty stomach, snacks are mandatory. Time-honored munchies include potato chips, pretzels and peanuts, and you can get creative by serving finger foods like mini pizza bagels, pigs in a blanket and other original, microwavable hors d'oeuvres.

Whatever you serve, make sure you have plenty of napkins handy. While you likely won't be serving up any messy snacks, it's important that everyone keep their hands dry and clean when handling the playing cards. Not only can dirty fingers make the cards sticky, but dirty fingers can mark the cards and thus give some players an unfair advantage.

the game

Now that the night's set up, the players have been invited, the food's ready, and the accessories have been laid out, it's time to get down to business.

Choose games
Repetition is annoying, so offer the guys the chance to play different types of poker. There are many to choose from, but the more popular ones include Five-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud, Let It Ride, Pai Gow, and Texas Hold 'Em.

Change dealers
To make the night enjoyable for everyone, a different dealer should start each game and pick the type of poker that will be played. This deters cheating and ensures that everyone will get to play their game of choice.

Establish rules
Before each game starts, make certain everyone understands the rules. If you don't, losing players will likely complain that the rules aren't clear. When starting a new game that certain players aren't familiar with, play a practice hand to make sure everyone understands how it works. But be careful: If the table is populated with serious players, they might not be interested in trial runs for the little girls.

You might also find it useful to keep a rulebook nearby to keep confusion to a minimum. Arguments often erupt at poker games over trivial matters, like what the absolute best hand is.

Set cash limits
Not everyone has the same financial resources so it's important that all the guys come to the poker table on the same financial footing. For instance, a guy with money to burn doesn't have a problem making $20 bets on bad hands to scare the others into folding, but that's not fun for the guy who can't keep up.

To avoid this, make each guy buy in with a maximum amount of cash. That way, when one guy's money is gone, he has to sit out and watch the others play. The ante should also be determined in advance. Pick an amount that everyone can live with and will make the pot interesting.